Letters of Import

I thought I would start up a discussion where Achaean's can share letters, notes, and scribblings that are important to them. Feel free to remove any personal information you'd like. I'll go first with a short letter of my own that I received back in January!

Pristinely cut from crisp parchment, the edges of this
stunning scroll shimmer with a dazzling,

ivory-white aura. Coloured to depict the impression of
stained glass, the border of the paper hosts

minute flecks of gold, which line the art and add to the
luminous shine of the overall design.

Inscribed into the other side of the page, a phoenix in
flight, trailing a ray of Light dominates

the background.

It has no title and the owner is listed as being Aurora, the
Lightbringer.

It weighs 3 ounce(s).

Jeslyn Vorondil and Kycen Rian-Moonshadow,

May good tidings fall upon your marriage, and Light guide
your steps

through the rich tapestry of your life together. My
blessings unto you

Awesome idea for a thread, @Jeslyn. I have a few discreet black journals that I keep letters of import pasted within. Many of their pages are filled with letters from Seekers of the Dream, from Achimrst about Curia business, and the like.

But there are also few personal ones that I treasure. For example, these are actually paintings (in gnoll blood) from Bluef's daughter Miallaria:

Pasted by Bluef on the 8th of Lupar, 662 AF

On the page you find a carefully detailed fingerpainting in blood. Theimage portrayed is a dragon, wings spread to catch the winds as it fliesthrough crimson clouds. Every vein has been etched in, likely using thetip of a fingernail and the dragons face is so expressive you wouldthink the painting done with a brush if not for telltale prints inthicker parts of the "paint". The initials M.S. have been crudely swipedinto one of the clouds.

Pasted by Bluef on the 14th of Chronos, 663 AF

Instead of writing you find a crimson fingerpainting of a forest glade.Further inspection reveals that blood is the artists choice of medium.Each tree has been carefully painted with the scarlet 'paint', theleaves have been painted in such a thin layer that the blood has driedto a vivid shade of burnt orange, giving the scene a bright autumn look.Despite the macobre medium the painting is a carefully detailed image ofbeauty, signed with a crudely swiped 'M.S.' In the lower left corner.

I have a journal full of apology letters from an ex-husband as well. Every once in a while when I'm going through my tomes I come across the thing and it reminds me what a douche he was and why Bluef is far better off without him today.

I also have a love letter that Kaie wrote to me when we very first became acquainted IC that I won't share here. But's it's all the more precious to me today, so it's in a special journal all its own, safe and sound forever.

Whew. I actually keep a lot of letters. In fact, two Logosmas' ago @Saeva made a whole journal of pasted letters from people that were encouragement (having just had excommunication) to keep being myself, they believe in me, and similar. It was probably the best Logosmas present I ever got. Just selecting a few is hard (none of which, of the ones below, are from aforementioned journal), and these barely even scratch the surface of some of the... personal letters I've sent and been given, but lets see.

We go from the terrifying...

An ebon hued letter sealed with the arms of Aurora has been pasted on this page.

Upon closer inspection you see:

This crisp sheaf of parchment is a deep ebon in hue, and richly adorned with a fine border of ivory. The stark colouring of the letter provides the perfect backdrop for a golden scimitar, finely embossed into the centre of the page. The sword slashes diagonally across the paper, its tip pointed towards the top edge.

Carefully you read what has been written on it:

Pasted by Melodie on the 11th of Chronos, 618 AF

Fallen Priestess,

You may thank Tvistor for this missive, for it appears that you have at least fumbled across promoting Good and Light in amongst the embarrasment of your other, multiple transgressions.

I have decided to grant you the boon of the requested audience. You will come before Me at a time of My choosing. Be prepared, Melodie Le'Murzen, for My words to those who willfully scorn the works of Good are never soothing.

Aurora, Goddess of Light

To the side-ripping humor (with a tinge of sadness)...

An elegant white letter has been pasted on this page.

Upon closer inspection you see:

This letter is made of the finest quality paper, and is rolled into a cylinder, with a red ribbon to keep it from unfurling.

Carefully you read what has been written on it:

Pasted by Melodie on the 17th of Glacian, 642 AF

Dear Melodie,

Saeva just told me that you were ex-communicated again. It makes me want to do stuff! But I won't write what.

If you ever want to talk, or just sit and gaze at the sea for a bit, I'm here. Just know that I will always think of you as a mother figure, even if things go awry. I love you.

A stick figure person has been drawn in the foreground, with long lines sprouting from the head representing hair. Two circles have been drawn on the figure's chest. A smiley face has been drawn on the stick figure's head. A giant arrow points towards the stick figure, labelling it with the words "Melodie". She appears to be holding an oversize lollipop in one hand. An arrow points to this to label it with "Smiting Mace". To her left, a stick figure is lying on its side, with the words "Smited Hirst" above it. To her right, a stick figure with a squiggly line coming out of the posterior region lays on its side with "Smited Hasar" written above in red. To the far right, what looks like an upright banana has a squiggly line cutting through it, and a tiny stick figure with long hair and chest circles appears to be standing sideways on it, just above the squiggly line. The arrow pointing to this part of the scene says "Smited Taraus".

The heavy weight and silken finish of this letter's parchment alone mark it with class. The colour of the parchment is a light cream that lends distinguishment to any words penned upon it. Elegant, abstract swirls are painted in silver and gold across the margins, providing a handsome frame. In the same gilt and silver at the bottom of the letter is embossed the name 'Sir Aerek Ancyrion, Shieldlord'.

I have many letters, some too personal and several flirtatious, but I've got one that I can share! It's rather short, but I felt touched to have received a follow-up letter after my conversations with "heathens" for Harbingers that I kept it.

A silver embossed letter with the arms of [redacted] has been pasted on this page.

This letter is crafted from a creamy parchment, its edges dyed with a wide border of navy blue. Delicate filigree embossed and enhanced by silver leaf scrolls over the dark background, augmented by a light sprinkling of glittering diamond dust. A neatly braided length of silver ribbon keeps the parchment from unfurling.

Carefully you read what has been written on it:

If the time comes where you overcome the glare of the light and are grasped by the mysteries of this world, I would be most eager to have a real conversation with you.

Focus on results and you'll never see progress. Focus on progress and you'll see results.

Though there are many I have kept, here are a few from my own collection.

Upon closer inspection you see:

This letter is made of the finest quality paper, and is rolled into a cylinder, with a red ribbon to

keep it from unfurling.

Carefully you read what has been written on it:

Pasted by Jurixe on the 13th of Scarlatan, 594 AF

[Roughly sketched on the cover of this letter is a fierce battle scene:

An amorphous water elemental is depicted sliding away in fear, as a

small and marred kitten lunges after it.]

Your father's kitten seemed to dislike a moving water dish. Or at least

I imagine it would. The rings are inside.

I forget how the next happened, but it was someone who I had mentioned had annoyed me over some conversation. (If you haven't already guessed, his head was inside.)

Upon closer inspection you see:

This letter is made of the finest quality paper, and is rolled into a cylinder, with a red ribbon to

keep it from unfurling.

Carefully you read what has been written on it:

Pasted by Jurixe on the 4th of Glacian, 593 AF

Naga -

I don't like you. You don't like me.

I really didn't like this moron. Here is a gift.

General Dunn Lichlord

A long time ago I stole a journal, and in it was a copy of a news post of a sermon some Sentaari gave where Chaos and Evil were described as being akin to burning flowers. I sent it to Tanris, Overseer of Ashtan at the time, and this was his response.

Upon closer inspection you see:

Dyed a stunning and vivid sapphire blue, the silken finish of this heavy parchment marks it with

sophistication. Rolling like waves on a sun-baked shore, loops and swirls of gold leaf flow through

the slender margins, their fluid patterns soothing to the eye. At the upper right-hand corner, a

In response to the situation and subsequent letter I received from @Aodfionn.

My greatest friend and teacher,

This is not the easiest letter to write out of the ones I’ve
written you. My heart has been dealt the wrong hand when it should be a royal
flush. It was just a month ago that I have been advised of my sentence if I do
not cast off Cyrene as my home. And in a month’s time I shall be excommed like
a criminal, because my former Deacon, what would I be if I did not follow who I
am? Is this not something we’ve discussed over boughts of tea and my constant
worrying that my teacher disregards the fact that he is incredible. You will always
be in my eyes incredible, despite all that has transpired over these past few
months. In these sixteen years, I have had the pleasure of working alongside
with you, a Targossian, because it was you that brought a sense of hope to my
eyes. We were not just Cyrenians to you as with your predecessors, meant to be
trampled upon. No, we were people that you’ve taught, argued with, and brought
to flourish to a tiny community even for a short while. This is what you will
be known for, not the harbinger of a mass exodus.

With this said, I scorn the death of my devoted soul and
hope that I meet it innocent of any crime. I am a Vorondil, albeit a young one.
I will stand before my accusers bravely, knowing the charges laid against me
were not ones I could control. And when the proverbial hand rips out my heart,
I will remain a priestess until I can no more. This is who I am and it is who
you taught me to be. A person of value, one that fights for what she believes.
I will take no offer of immunity, you’ve given me, nor will I take the easy
route. Please do respect my decision on this and know you will always have a
friend in me.

My beloved friend, let me close with this, the future that
lies ahead of me is dark. It, however, does not need be for you. Please let
this letter be a light and comfort to your heart. Let it also be a light to my former
mentee, your now daughter, who I had thought at first would was a hopeless
case, but has brought me much surprise these past years under your care. Those
around you flourish, because you are a true beacon of light. I leave to you the
amulet and the ring you gave me when I was just a young priestess, not even 20
years old. They have guided me well in my fight against wickedness, but I do
not wish to bear the weight of them. Least I remember the times we had, and
come running despite my resolve.

I wish you happiness. Go into Sapience knowing that while
you were everything to me as a teacher, that I will be fine.

I've wished for a long time that they would just do away with the ability to use messages as more-convenient letters. I know a lot of people are horrified at the idea of it, but I think perhaps letters just need a better, message-like interface. And I'm not even sure that's really necessary.

In general, I wish people leaned more on IC tools for communication and organisation rather than spawning more and more OOC tools like Projects and such. Tael doesn't ever use messages for IC communication and, when I've had substantial administrative duties in the game, I've generally used manuscripts and journals. They're not actually much harder at all to use for organising things - I've never had any problems personally and the only real problems I've faced is people whining that it's inconvenient to have to go to a particular room to update the manuscript they have to deal with a couple of times a week, which is, I think, a pretty reasonable imposition.

Restricting communication to letters keeps things immersive and IC and it opens up avenues for roleplaying - you can steal letters, you can show them to other people, you etc. None of that is possible with messages. Similarly, using manuscripts and journals in lieu of help files and projects keeps things immersive and IC, opens up further opportunity for things like people "cheating", like a novice who gets someone to sneak them into the househall to check a box on their progression record, which opens up a whole wealth of RP possibilities as they try to keep that secret and perhaps someone notices or investigates.

Though I am also of the feeling that a lot of resistance to using IC tools comes from people who have created far too much administrative work for themselves, which is a longstanding problem for people in leadership positions in the game who traditionally don't delegate much (even when the game defines formal subordinates for them) and worry about fastidiously tracking needlessly detailed, fine-grained information about relatively inconsequential things. Four times now Tael has ended up HoN for a house and every time I've easily made due with IC organisation tools by delegating real authority to novice aides rather than treating them like novices themselves and eliminating pointlessly complicated systems that require intensive administrative work to keep track of. Generally, I think people have been pretty satisfied with the outcome since the changes have tended to be kept, though most do seem to go back to using OOC tools for tracking anyway. Alas.

Tael himself has a few preserved letters, but I wouldn't share them OOCly for various reasons (which probably makes them sound a lot more racy than they are).

I love letters as a form of communication. Shimi has sent out a few as sort of self introduction to people she was referred to learn things from. I don't have any personal letters or any preserved yet, since I never get any replies... need to meet more of you guys in game so we can become like pen pals!

This isn't exactly a letter, but during the course of my planning to join Mhaldor, I had drawn up a public news post. Unfortunately, I didn't get to post it since it completely slipped my mind slaves couldn't post to any news sections, and I was quite distracted with the goings-on directly after the wedding itself. I just found it again as I was digging around for a description to modify, and thought I'd share it here, just for fun, since it has the same sort of idea to it that a letter would.

I might have had a little too much fun making this post. Maybe.

Hail, people of Sapience.

Long have I walked these lands as a gentle, kind spirit who sought little conflict and instead simply lived a peaceful existance, content with the world and my place within it. As I grew older, I grew more successful. I had my trials and tribulations, and came out the other side of them with a new sense of self-worth few are able to obtain in their lifetimes, sheltered behind their walls as I was. Yet still, rejection came from the East once more, much to my shock and dismay. As if to add insult to injury, a policy added shortly after made the gates of Targossas slam in my face, and my name shunned for the many years to come, as if a beast who had forsaken her own ideals.

Despite this, I still held tight to those ideals.

And so I bade farewell to my birthplace and home of over two hundred years, the Gem of the Vashnars and her beauty, and headed to live among the savages in a village fiercely dedicated to defending and promoting Nature and, in turn, Creation. Or, so I thought. While it is true that some, such as Rangor Corten or Ellodin Longshanks, would defend their home and beliefs unto their last breath, many within Eleusis hypocritically rest on their non-existent laurels, content in their old age and stagnancy to do as little as possible, while allowing few youngsters an ability to become a voice of change. Change is a concept few embrace and several fear, and thus its people stagnate and drag their feet. I watched with growing discontent, even as I perished for them as I would my own, for such is the call of duty.

I once counted myself among these peoples, Cyrenians, Eleusians, and even to some extent Targossians. I gladly shed my blood for them all, for what is my life in the face of defending one's beliefs? Despite years of never lifting my mace to hurt anything more than a few rats, my original restoration to Devotion gave me new purpose, and my body grew as strong as my faith and spirit. Even now, branded as a traitor to Devotion once more, I tried to make amends, only to be insulted, ignored, and then told my status was to remain; their own beliefs founded upon the ideals of forgiveness, yet with none to be had for one such as me. I gave everything of myself that I had to give without holding back, yet it was never enough.

I shall do this no longer.

The so-called protectors of Creation and Nature are content either with finding me nothing but a heretic, or discounting their own people's talents in the face of their own selfish desires. The Cyrenians, dear as I loved them, seem to wallow further and further into complacency, unable to dig themselves out from the pit created of their own lack of desire to properly defend themselves. I looked about myself, and even as I saw individuals with promise or friends with purpose, I saw hoards more of people holding them back from ever becoming what they could truly be.

So I shed the shackles of that life, and instead look West to Lord Sartan and His own. Instead I choose to take on new shackles as a temporary burden, only to be eventually lifted should I prove myself worthy of such an honour. Instead, I will work with those with a singular purpose, those who suffer as I have, not because they hate each other... but rather for their own benefit, to become more than the uninitiated could ever hope to achieve. With me I take the heart of my beloved, even as I leave his body behind, for sometimes even love isn't enough to wholly sustain oneself.

I will bear my burden of regret into this renewed path in life, and become stronger for it. And one day, I will return unto you all not as a broken woman unable to be saved, but as the fallen "priestess" I choose to embrace and embody in full.

Watch for that day, Targossas, and know you brought it upon yourselves.

Now, I havn't thought this through in full yet, so bear with me - but, regarding letters being an underused form of communication, isn't this in part due to them requiring a few steps to actually get done? Getting one, entering some form of editor to write it and then travelling to a post office to send it - all that is bypassed by simply typing a message.

Would it be possible to perhaps have a config option for this, so that sender goes through the process of sending a message, but the recipient gets a letter?

Of course this falls short re: sending items, customising letters and so on, but perhaps just having the option of your messages transform to regular Delos-sent letters might encourage more letters into circulation?

Having messages turned into letters like that will probably never happen - letters cost gold to send and there are even artefacts to allow them to be sent from anywhere. I suppose it's possible, but it seems unlikely. And it would be strange too because the system would have no way of knowing whether a message actually is IC - you probably don't want the game sending you letters for decay messages (though those could be exempted) or "OOC: How does scytherus work with nechamandra again?".

You're absolutely right about messages being used because they're more convenient. As long as they're available for IC communication with no drawbacks at all, people will probably use them. On the other hand, having to go get a letter and post it from a post office seems like a pretty astoundingly insignificant imposition - and having to use the editor increases the effort by one button press and one mouseclick.

Which is why I wish you just couldn't use messages for IC communication. One option would be to preserve them for automatic use only, though that makes OOC messages impossible, which seems undesirable. But at the very least I wish there were an actual, explicit directive in the help files, and maybe a little system message when you send a message that says something like "You're sending a message to Tael. Please remember that messages are for out-of-character communication. If your communication is with the character Tael and not the player behind him, please consider using a letter."

The thing that frustrates me is that any time anyone brings up doing away with messages for IC communication, people scream bloody murder like they couldn't possibly keep up with the sheer volume of communication they receive and send. But the convenience of a message over a letter is pretty minimal and, to a larger extent than is generally recognised, these high volumes of correspondence a few players are complaining about are mostly self-inflicted.

I used to have my return message set to inform people that I ignore IC messages, asking people to send a letter instead. Eventually, I just gave up. You would think this was like asking people to move mountains - people either just ignored the request entirely or they actually ranted at me that it was unreasonable to request they go through such a terrible, arduous process of sending a letter.

Mm, didn't remember the artefact matter. It's likely not the fact that letters are such a terrible, arduous process, as much as the fact that messages are still so much quicker, like you also mentioned.

The question is which one is more feasible to change, to make letters easier, or messages harder?

Edit: to clarify, the suggestion wasn't to make all messages into letters, but provide an option to the sender to have it delivered as one, without the (however correctly) perceived hassle associated with it.

Messages are quicker, easier, free, and can't be "lost". Letters take effort, travel, gold (a pittance, but still), and can easily get lost if the recipient doesn't notice the delivery because of whatever they were doing at the time, and can decay or even get stolen before they're read.

Messages are just more practical by far. I do use letters for "formal" interactions, because that's how I see them: they're RP aides. When you're reaching out to someone you haven't really spoken to before, to discuss something important or open up some new avenue of interaction/relation, use a letter, you can do much more with them. But when you're just letting me know about day-to-day things, use a message. If you flood my inventory in letters composed of one-line notifications, house reqs, or other quick clarifications you needed while I wasn't online at the time, I will PK you.

For the little things, where the effort of a letter isn't warranted, just pretend messages -are- letters, we're cutting out all the unnecessary steps when the content of the message isn't worth all the extra work.

-- Grounded in but one perspective, what we perceive is an exaggeration of the truth.

Letters and books and such would be vastly improved by means of out-of-editor writing methods.

Letters would have to be tweaked a bit, since currently they're write-once, but I still think being able to write to these things without literally leaving the game would vastly improve their place as roleplaying instruments.

There are other improvements too, such as being able to format text. Having documents with longer lifespans than letters (but shorter than scrolls) would be cool too, for things like official documents or whatnot. Notebooks (like books but with lifespans) would be kind of cool too.

There are slates in Lothos that you can write on without using the editor, so the mechanic already exists (although it could be done a little more "neatly" than using the touch/push commands). Those work well as a kind of notepad.

Are you tired? Does your soul yearn for rest from the chains of anunfulfilling life? Do you find yourself yearning for Truth in a world ofhalf-truths and outright lies? HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU! The pain, thesuffering, and the toil that you've underwent thus far is meaningless!It's all for nothing! I know what you're thinking! What the hell do youmean it's been meaningless?! I worked for that?! Of course the mortaltendency is to want to preserve your accomplishments, your family, andyour treasures, but they will all one day vanish into the infinite chasmof the Void. Isn't that Great!?!?

Now that you know this, you can live your life with true Purpose! Youcan seek what is meaningful to you in this short, ethereal existence!You can seek out what is truly yours! Should you love and enjoy yourfamily?! Yes! But if that's what truly is what you wish to expend yourquite limited time doing, then do so!!! Some relish this brief momentand reach for their own purpose and perfection! If knowing this makesyou feel free, then perhaps you are called into His Service! Perhaps,like the Great Prophet, the unending perfection of the infinite Void(where all is known, possessed, and experienced) calls to you with thevery beat of that same drum! If you're tired of seeking unfulfillingpaths just to feel benevolent, then seek your True path. Follow theTwin. Find the Razor. Seek Him.

In Love,His humble servant.

Of course, how Multon chooses to respond to such a letter could change the course of his entire life. It is a truly important decision. So, after much thought, Multon decided such an important missive required an immediate response. Multon proceeded do just that by buying another letter, putting the first letter in that one, and sending the new letter he bought to the highest ranked person in Ashtan who was in the realms at the time. The reply Multon wrote read as follows....

Dear Humble Servant,

Get stuffed.

Multon

Multon is not a complicated person... And, as regards some things, a man of few words.

P.S. Whoever I sent this to, it was kind of a spur of the moment decision, probably not the best one, but I thought it suited Multon's personality.

I've been thinking about ways to make letters more convenient, able to be used as a more IC alternative to messages, without devaluing the current letter system or artefacts.

One way to do it is to allow you to send a tell to certain denizens (who would probably be located in post offices), having them send someone a letter/note on your behalf, for a fee (could be more expensive than the 100 gold letter cost). The disadvantages compared to normal letters would be that you're limited to a single line without formatting, like tells and messages, and it could also have stricter limitations on length. That way sending letters from a post office (or silver whistle) is still useful because they allow for longer and better-formatted text, they can contain items, and you can use custom stationery.

An example of how it would work:[spoiler][/spoiler]And on the recipient's end:[spoiler][/spoiler]

I've been thinking about ways to make letters more convenient, able to be used as a more IC alternative to messages, without devaluing the current letter system or artefacts.

One way to do it is to allow you to send a tell to certain denizens (who would probably be located in post offices), having them send someone a letter/note on your behalf, for a fee (could be more expensive than the 100 gold letter cost). The disadvantages compared to normal letters would be that you're limited to a single line without formatting, like tells and messages, and it could also have stricter limitations on length. That way sending letters from a post office (or silver whistle) is still useful because they allow for longer and better-formatted text, they can contain items, and you can use custom stationery.

An example of how it would work:[spoiler][/spoiler]And on the recipient's end:[spoiler][/spoiler]

I question your maths in those logs (either you sent 41 letters or that log is fake. Faaaake).